Somehow it’s Tuesday already, which means it’s time for the weekly review of progress and some new goal setting. I feel pretty good for the progress made last week and the next set of goals will present some new challenges.

Firstly, the not so serious challenges I’ll need to overcome that could be best described as “First world temporarily stuck in a wheelchair problems”

• Not taking my phone anywhere near the bathroom, either on purpose or accidentally. It only ends in requiring 1kg of rice and my parents organising a new phone. Thanks Dad.
• Not eating everything that my friends bring. If I eat every piece of chocolate that comes through my door, I’ll still need the wheelchair to leave here.
• Not trying to throw anything while sitting in a wheelchair. It only ends in near disaster because all my weight gets pushed through my leg out front. Next stop, on the floor. Lucky save last time...

This week has been full of ups and downs. To kick off, I’ll start with the ups:

I nailed my transfer!

We did laundry!

The dinner menu treated us like 12 year olds with ‘spaghetti’ - what a treat :)

Work sent me some amazing cupcakes :) I’m scared that I’ll be rolling out of here at the end of my stay so they were shared with the nurses and physios. Hope I scored some extra kudos.

And finally, Ghita and I were chatting in her room one evening. Security came in and told Ghita visiting hours were over for the day and that she had to leave. He didn’t quite understand that we were both patients. Slow day at the office for him.

And then there was Friday…(warning, long post)

Friday marked a big day in my rehab calendar - it was my first outpatient appointment two weeks after being discharged to review my wounds and general progress. To say I was looking forward to the appointment...

This week has been full of reviews, check ups and general progress discussions. It’s made me think quite a bit about how I would usually measure my progress with work and I’ve realised it’s not that different from what I’ll be doing it here.

As part of my job in consulting, I would usually set objectives before the start of every project and would revisit them at the end of the project based on self-input and feedback from my supervisors. When writing my objectives, I would consider the role I’ve been assigned and what I expect to gain out of it. I’d take into account the duration (how much can I expect to learn over the time allocated), the client environment (who do I need to engage with) and consider whether it’s a ‘stretch’ role (something new that pushes me to the next level). Despite feeling like overhead and a bit of a pain at the start of the project, they’re hugely rewarding...

I’m taking some time out from rolling around this afternoon after a big day. I didn’t intend on writing another blog so quickly but it’s top of my mind so I wanted to note it down.

Here’s me, rolling :)

Although I’m all smiles here, in the lift on the way to physio this morning it was a little more like this:

Over the past two weeks I’ve discovered there are a few different types of feelings. Don’t stress, this isn’t a huge emotional outpouring, I’m just sharing what’s been on my mind lately. There are feelings you want to feel, like rediscovering the sensation in your toes and the rush of excitement when you finish a big climb on the bike. There are feelings you don’t really want to feel, like the pain of rolling over or accidentally hitting a sore point. Then there are the feelings you have to learn to accept, like your thoughts about what has happened in the past and the...

It’s my first weekend here and it’s nice to have a quiet morning after a very busy week.

My first afternoon had been filled with mostly admin and handover activities from the Alfred. I signed some forms agreeing that I was part of a rehabilitation program and that I would be attending sessions with the aim of improving my condition, that I’m allowed the odd sick day and that I’m fortunately covered by the TAC for all costs incurred.

I was also introduced to some of they key staff members, including my physio Tim. Since the accident, every move beyond my standard flat lying position had scared me quite a bit. I was worried - what if I made it worse, what if I found a whole new pain I hadn’t felt before, what if I cried again? Tim introduced himself, gave a background into what we’d be doing throughout my time here and asked if I’d been in a wheelchair yet. I don’t think I was shy in...

I think this post will nearly bring me up to speed with where I am now.

On Tuesday 9th February I moved from the Alfred to the Epworth rehabilitation hospital in Hawthorn. I’d been so excited about the move, I felt like it was a big milestone moving from care focused on putting me back together to care focused on making me better.

After being given the green light from the trauma team on Tuesday morning, I was moved across to the Epworth. The Patient Transport car went along the Richmond Boulie and I couldn’t help but think about the countless mornings I’d spend cycling along there. It felt like I was standing from the outside looking in, somewhat detached from those experiences. Thinking about it more, I only have great memories of all those freezing/windy/wet sessions we did there but realise I have a bit of work to do for managing my feeling of missing out. I guess it helps having...

After surgery on Tuesday night, I ended up spending a week at the Alfred in a few different areas. I’d spent a bit of time at the Alfred before with my collarbone in 2014 but this stay was a bit different. I couldn’t walk and didn’t fully understand the extent of my injuries until the end of the week.

Days 1 - 3: Cardiac
Because of my broken sternum and my heart showing some signs of trauma I was moved to the cardiac ward for the first few days. From Day 1 the nurses were so supportive and helpful, I have so much respect for them and the work they do. I was relieved to lose the neck collar after 24 hours and the pain meds seemed to be working well. Days 2-3….not so good. I was emotional, still a bit shocked and unable to control the nausea. I felt like I was motion sick despite not moving and sleeping was the best option. I didn’t understand what had happened to my back and hip, with...

On Tuesday 2nd February, I was feeling pretty good. I had recently finished up on a big project and was officially on the bench (no assigned project). I had felt relieved and was so keen to keep the momentum I’d finally found in my search for balance in life across work, sport and friends/family. I had a few things marked in the diary for the next few months:

• Another ocean swim with my buddy Lizzie
• Training for Run for the Kids in March and my second half marathon in May
• Riding my road bike 2 times a week and putting more structure into training
• Holiday with Mum and Rob to Tasmania in April
• Etc. The list was very, very long :)

I left work at around 4pm, decided heading down Church St then Chapel St would be the best route - I felt comfortable with the directions and knowing there was a bike lane for a fair portion of the ride. I managed to get through the sketchy Johnson St part...